Moldovan hospitality may attract more tourists

The Moldovans’ hospitality is the reason why foreigners would choose this destination. However, the lack of advertising campaigns doesn’t allow the increase of the tourist flow, Info-Prim Neo learned from Victor Ciobanu, head of the service for analysis, monitoring and evaluation of policies within the Agency of Tourism. There is however a strategy for development of tourism for 2003-2015. Last year, it was revised and a new draft was prepared for 2013-2020. “The basic goal is the orientation of touristic activity. It must become a branch of economy and focus on the Moldovan hospitality. A recent study found that the main characteristic of Moldovan tourism is hospitality”, said Victor Ciobanu. At this stage, authorities plan the development of the Registry of touristic heritage. It will be an electronic database containing information about the touristic potential in Moldova. On the basis of this data, the digital map of Moldova will be developed in 2 years. The project is financed by the Japanese Government. The data obtained from the guide and the map will be combined to offer a complex image of the touristic potential in Moldova. “If hospitability is our advantage, then the lack of information is our disadvantage. But we’re working on it. We have USAID’s support in launching websites dedicated to the National Wine Day. The webpages are in a trial period now. We’re also working on a new brand. By the end of the year, we’ll place ads on social networks”, said the official from the Agency of Tourism. Head of the tourism chair at the State Agrarian University Cristina Cosciuc says that advertising is very important in promoting tourism. “We need large investments in this field. The minus is that travel agencies place the information only on their websites and the info doesn’t go further”, she said. According to statistical data, the income from the activity of travel agencies and tourism operators tripled between 2003 and 2011 to 780 million lei.